This is an interesting looking tea, and certainly one of the most unique green teas I’ve ever seen. I’ve read tasting notes for this one previously, and I know that people said the leaves were large, but I wasn’t actually expecting them to be this large. Like, so-large-they-won’t-fit-in-my-work-infuser large. They’re very thin and flat, like dried seaweed sheets, and feel similarly brittle. The colour is variagated – from dark green tips to yellow-green leaf base. The scent – in keeping with the appearance – is strong, and quite seaweed-y, or marine-like. I like that you can tell they’re leaves. It seems somehow more honest than a lot of teas, and is surely a more expensive production process. There’s everything premium about this one.
I used approximately 1/3 of the sample pouch for my cup, not really having much to go on. I’m kind of hoping that the leaves will soften and fold into the infuser, otherwise brewing this one is going to be interesting. At the moment, they’re leaning against the side of the infuser basket, and poking out a good couple of centimetres.
Fortunately they do, so it’s all good. I gave them 2.5 minutes in water cooled to around 180 degrees. The scent is milder than I was expecting, vegetal and a little nutty. The taste is similar – quite subtle, with notes of samphire, salt, and an edge of almost-floral. There’s a slightly mineral aftertaste, like wet rock. The floral is a bit of a surprise, especially in the way it “blooms” at the end of the sip. Up until that point, this struck me as a pleasant – if fairly standard – green tea. That floral, which graually gives way to the more mineral, oolong-like end-note, makes this an altogether more unique experience. Added to its overall smoothness, and complete lack of bitterness or astringency, this makes for a very pleasant cup. I’d happily seek this one out again, from future harvests.
